I want share a personal story, over a year ago I was at the Long Island railroad station and I heard a woman screaming, by the time I made my way up the platform the police were arriving.

There was a young girl sitting on the ground she had been attacked. She began by saying to the PO “my brother and my cousin tried to strangle me” I knew immediately this was an attempted honor killing. She proceeded to explain to the PO that they were angry because she was dating a Latino boy and they followed her from Queens to LI where she met him. She said “I dishonored my family”

Her brother and cousin ran off and took her pocketbook. I guess they wanted her death to look like a robbery or perhaps a suicide on the railroad. She did have her cell phone in a backpack they couldn’t get off her shoulder. Anyway the Police officers were ready to toss this up to a family dispute and send her on her way.

I had to explain to the PO the why of all this and urge them not to just send her home because her family will kill her. I convinced the police to take her to the ER and I went with her. PUMAs will remember Maya because they all came to her aid.

The point of this all is to explain how difficult it is for Americans to comprehend that a family would kill their own daughter over a date. The police themselves are not trained to spot an honor killing, in a little town on Long Island or any other small town. To them it’s a mundane “I had a fight with my brother call”. It is all so incomprehensible for the average American to believe a family would stalk and attempt to murder their 19 year old female for any reason.

So we are sadly seeing honor killings right here in the US disguised. How many young women are murdered in what appears to be a random mugging, kidnapping, robbery or perhaps a suicide? I suggest maybe there are more cases than we are aware of. Maybe our Police and detective agencies need to be educated as well to spot this before they send these females home to their deaths. .

I was blessed to have been there and the police and ER nurses know me. But what if she was sent home?

Maya is living safe and is in school studying to be an OBGYN and hopes one day to return to Iraq and help the women of her country.

Awareness and Education but it must be in truth but will these women fall through the cracks all in the name of profiling?

On that night I spent the night and the next day in the ER with her. The PUMAS posted their prayers and support to her and I read them to her all night, she was overwhelmed by the support of women here in the US and it gave her the courage to leave the hospital with a trusted Aunt who came to bring Maya to her home and to safety and she remains there today.

She is still in danger, I filled out the hospital papers and used my work address and her brothers came to my job with their threats I have looked evil in the eye and am no longer threaten by evil and would protect her with my life but I feared for the women I worked with so I left my job and haven’t heard from them since.

I speak to Maya and I am so very proud of her. I contacted an incredible woman who wishes to remain anonymous who is paying for Maya’s medical education. Maya does know who her angel is and that moves her forward and upon her graduation her angel will be sitting there. Her angel inspires Maya to never give up.

I am blessed to have met such inspiration and the reason I continue to speak is because of Maya and the thousands of incredible women I have walked with, including all of you.

Today Asia Bibi’s life was spared because women spoke her name in protest. Continue with one life at a time. For one life is precious.